Some British officers may have brought home government-issued revolvers, but usually the guns they brought home were their own. For many years, it was assumed that an officer would buy his whole "kit", which included his own handgun and sword, as well as his "bespoke" (custom tailored) uniform, boots, and other personal articles. It was not until WWI, when huge losses of junior officers left no choice but to allow the lower classes to enter the officer corps, that officers, like enlisted men, were issued a full kit at government expense and sidearms were expected to be turned in on discharge (if the poor guy survived that lone!).
Jim
Jim